Sharon School Committee
Superintendent's Employment Contract

The parties hereto, in consideration of the mutual promises conl<1i11cd in this
Employment Contract ("Contract"), executed this 81h dm of F<'hn1;1rv, 201 i.
agree and hind themselves as follows:
I.

EMPLOYMENT

Tlw Sd1nol Commit l<T of the Town of Sharon, Massachusetts ('the School
Corn1111ttec') hncby crnpluys Dr. Victoria L. Greer ("the Superintendent" or "Dr.
(!n·t'r") as the Suprrintendent of the Sharon Public Schools, and Dr. c;recr
lwrdJ.\' <1cccpb emplovmcnt as the Superintendent of the Sharon Public
Sdwols. sub_Jcct to the terms and conditions hereinafter provided.

2.

TERM

(A)
The School Committee hereby agrees to employ Dr. Greer as the
Superintendent of Schools for the Town of Sharon for an initial three(:'\) year
term starting July 1, 2017, and concluding Llune 30, 2020. \vhich len11 will be
extended by one additional year subject to (B) below.
(U)
If, after the full evaluation of the Superintendent's performance in the
second year of this Contract, she has not received more than two "needs
irnprovernent" or "unsatisfactory" ratings in any of the Standards defined in
Section 6 below (as voted by a majority of the School Committee), this Cnntract
shall automatically extend for a fourth year, through ,June 30, 2021.
(C)
If the School Committee does not notify Dr. Greer before September 30
of the year before the expiration of this Contract that this Contract ·will not be
rcne\\·ed, then this Contract shall automatically renew for an additional one (1)
veru jl<'riocl, on such terms as are provided herein, subject to Dr. Greer's
continuing employment and a satisfactory performance evaluation.
3.

COMPENSATION

Conlingcnt upon the faithful, diligent, professional and competent per·forrnancc
of the duties and responsibilities of the Superintendent as provided by law and
herein, the School Committee agrees to pay the Superintendent for her
cmplovmcnt and services an nnnual salary of $186,000.00 for the period July
I. 2017 - .June 30, 2018 ("Year 1 Compensation").

 Co!!l tngcnt upun Ilic 1·;iithful. diligent, professional and c0111p<'ln1t 1wrfon11mw•·
1>11lJ,· dutJt·s ;ind n·sponsibiliti<'S <>f the Superintendent dS provided hv law urn!
hcn·in, ;ind subject tu a sat.isfactorv performance evaluation, the
Stq)('ri11tcnd<·111's Crnnpensaiion for Year 2 (.July I, 2018- ,June 30, 201<.11 shull
Ix Yc<1r l Cmnpcnsation plus an increase of 2'Y.,. with a l •;.(, incrnisc appli\'d for
tl:t' first six months of the vear and an additional 1% mcrcase <Hided for th('
SC'cond six months 01· the year (''Year 2 Compensation"); Cornpcnsatiun for Year
:\ (.Juh J. 2010 .Jurn· :m, 2020) shctll be Year 2 Compensation plus nn
1.!H.T<:usc of 2''.·h ("Ycnr :~Compensation"); and Year 4 Compensation (.July 1,
2020 ·.June :)0, 202 l) shall be Ye8r :1 Compensation plus an irwrcns(' of;>'~;,_
In each Yc<ir of this Agreement, the Superintendent's annual salary slwll h<'
p;t\'ilblt, in equal installments in accordance with the policy of the School
Committee f'OVcrning payment of other professional st;dT members.
The Superintl'ndcnt shall not be entitled to overtime or cornpcnsHlory time.
The position is an exempt position under the Federal Fair Labor Standards An.
The parties agrc<' that the School Committee shall reimburse the
Superintendent $2,500.00 annually for expenses incurred and travel costs
related to her dwics as Superintendent, with such payments made in equal
installments overt he course of each year of this Contract.
As a part of the School Committee's support of the Superintendent's ongoing
professional development, the Committee shall pay the costs associated with
the Massachusetts New Superintendent Induction Program ("NSIP") for the first
three vcars of this contract, and if a fourth year is triggered, shall pav
$2 ,000.00 in that year against the costs associated with professional
dcVf'lopment coursework related to the Superintendent's work.
4.

LONGEVITY

The Committee wishes to recognize, as it does for other employees, the value of
the services provided by the Superintendent over time. Therefore, in addition
to salary set forth in Article 3, the parties agree that the Superintendent shall
receive tht'. following amounts at the start of the specified years of service as
Superintendent:
Year Three (July 1, 2019): $1000.00
Year Four (if triggered pursuant to Article 2(8) above) (July 2, 2020):
$1,500.00
The parties further agree that following the Superintendent's evaluation at the
second year of this contract, they \vill enter into good faith negotiations about
whether the above longevity payments should be increased.

 5.

WORK YEAR

Tlw Superintendent's work year during the 1crrn of this Contract shall consist
tlf )):-i chiys in u1d1 fiscal ycm(s) (.July l - ,Junl' .10) encompassed h\ tl1is
( 'ontrnct. The daily hours of work shall be left to the good foith profcssionnl
judgment of the Superintendent, subject to the opcrnting needs tlf the Sl1;1ni11
Publw Schools.

6.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Tlw Superintendent shall diligently, faithfully, professionally ;md compctn1tl\
pn!onn the duties <ind responsibilities of Superintendent of Schools. The
Slqwri11t\'11dcnt shall s\'rvc as Executive Officer of the School Committee .is
providl'<I in fVJassachusctts Clcncral Laws, ch. 71, s. 59, and all other applic~1bk
Lrns a11d rcgulatiot1s of the Commonwealth.

The administration of policv, the operation and management of the schools,
including utilization of and regular accounting for funds appropri;itcd for the
school budget and the direction of employees of ihc School District shall be
through the Superintendent. Duties and responsibilities therein shall be
performed and discharged by her or by her staff under her direction.
The "Superintendent" and/ or her dcsignee(s) shall have the right to attend all
regular and special meetings of the Committee and alt committee mcctiugs
thereof, and shall serve as advisor to said committees and make
recommendations on all matters affecting the "School District." The
Sup('rintendent shall be consulted and have the right to speak on ;ill issues
before the School Committee and have a seat at the Committee table.
The Committee shall make no agreement with any other employee group or
individual that would interfere with the Superintendent's carrying out her
stat utorv, managerial, administrative or supervisory responsibilities.
The Superintendent shall fulfill the terms and conditions of this Contract. The
Superintendent shall comply with rhc lawful policies and procedures of the
School Committee m1d shall serve and perform such duties at such time and
places and in such manner as the School Committee may from time to time
direct.

7.

GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND EVALUATION

State Standards, Goals & Annual Plan
The Superintendent shall be evaluated based on Standards and Rubrics ("the
Standards") adopted by the Board of Education and DESE on a schedule
agreed upon by the parties as set out below. The Standards arc: Instructional
Leadership, Management and Operations, Family & Community Engagement.

 l'rn!t·ss1u111il Culture. These m;i_\ dwngt· us determined bv th<' Ho;ird of
l'>iw·;i1io11. The ('\;il11<1tion shall rc!1ect. the five stt~p cycle s<'l out in Principks
ul Eff,·ctivc Adrmnistrntive Leadership and Descriptors adopted by the
;ii1d

Milss;whttsdts Hoard of 1.;ducation, fi()J CMP J5.00, and anv mlditimwl
st11rnl<1rds or go<ils mutLwlly agreed upon. The Evnluution Instrument and the
process or c1·aluation may be amended, modified or abbreviated by 1mlttutl
ilgnTmcnl in wri I ing by the Superintendent and the Committee. All C\'alu;i t iuns
Cllllcludcd ;lllt-r .July I, 2010 shall be accomplished consistent with the
provisions ol' M.G.L., ch. 30A relative to the Open Meeting Law.
J)istnct

(1901~

In addition to nn evaluation using the Principles of Effectin· Administrator
Lcadcrnhip. the Committee and the Superintendent may also establish spn:ifi(·
<Hlclitional goals and criteria for each evaluation cycle provided they hnvc b('e!l
rnut uallv agreed to in writing, including a statement of the dcsira blc outcomes
for each goal. The criteria on which the Superintendent is to be evaluated
regarding additional goals shall be mutually agreed upon and incorporated into
a written evaluation instrument. The writkn agreement on additional goals
must be entered into by no later than October 15 of each school yt:ar.
Nici&. End Cycle Review
On or before the 91 st day of school and before the May Town election of each
calendar year, the Superintendent shall provide to the Committee at a duly
called public meeting a written self- evaluation on mid-cycle and end of cycle
goals. Her work since the last cycle review will be discussed in relation to the
Hoard of P~ducation's Principles of Effective Administration and Leadership
Standards and any additional goals or standards mutually agreed upon by the
parties. The review of the Superintendent according to the Standards shall
refer to the Superintendent's performance in each Standard as Exemplary,
Proficient, Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory. The revic\v of the
Superintendent's performance with respect to the goals shall assess each goal
as Exceeded, Met, Significant Progress, Some Progress, or Diel Not Meet. Each
such ranking, under Standards and Goals, shall be accompanied by a written
narrative specifically referencing events, facts or action and DESE rubrics in
support thereof.
Summative Evaluation
The Committee shall review the Superintendent's progress at end cycle on goals
and st>lf- Pvaluation in a public session prior to the May Town election of the
current school year and shall complete a summative evaluation assessing
attainment of the goals against standards using the four DESE rubric ratings.

 1\nv f'Valu:llion report delivered by the Committee will be signed by the

St1pcrintn1dcnt. Such signature shall not nccessari]\· indicate agreement with
the content rhcrcof but rather ;JCknowlcdgc receipt of the document. The
Supt-rintnHknt may respond to the evaluation in writing and will deliver such
response lo the Chnirpcrson of the CornrnittcT and a copy of the response will
bt· ;1tl;iclwd !() llw evaluation and placed in the Supcri11tcudc11t's personnel file
Consensus Doc_iJmc;q1
The cv;iluation document shnll consist of one document reflecting the
consnisus or rm~jority view of the Committee. The document shall be compiled
by I he Committee Chair upon submission to the Chair of each member's
inclividu;,il assessment of the Superintendent's pcrfornwncc. Anv individual
document of an evaluative rwlurc concerning the Superintendent prepared bv
<inv indivicluul member shall be retained by the individual member and shall Lie
considered individual feedback and shall be provided to the Superintendent
but arc subject to public disclosure per M.G.L. c. '.10A, l:j22(c).
Public Discussion
Any and all public discussion of the performance of the Superintendent will be
conducted by the Committee only in accordance with the Open Meeting Law,
~me! shall be conducted in open Sf:Ssion except for such discussion that is part
nf negotiations for salary or compensation, which shall be conducted in
C'Xl'Cutivc session.
Specific Written Feedback
In the event that tht.'. summativc evaluation indicates that the performance of
the Superintendent is "unsatisfactory·• or "needs improvement" in any respect,
the specifics which have given rise to this determination, the improvements
that are expected and the indicators that will determine whether or not each
deficiency cited has been remediated must be set forth in writing in the
evaluation.

Individual Concerns
Nothing in this agreement will prevent any member of the School Committee
from meeting privately with the Superintendent to discuss any matter either
might wish to discus::;, to the extent consistent with the Open Meeting Law.

8.

OUTSIDE PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

The Superintendent may undertake outside consulting work, speaking
engagements, writing, lecturing, or other professional duties and obligations

 ('onsisl<'Jli witl1 tlw Supcrinrcndcnt's '.Vork as Superintendent, provided such
m:tivilics cio 1101 in ;Jlly m;111ner interfere or conflict with the rwrfon11;111u· of tlw
Supcrir1tc11dcnt's duties and responsibilities e1s Superintendent, or hrmg the
School Dt'pnrtmcnt or School Committee into disrepute or ph1c1· the School
Comrnitt('<' ;rnd/or the Sharon School Department in a negative light. ff such
activities would require absence from work during school hours, the Chrnr of
the School Committee shall be notified with reasonable advant:(' notice. The
School Committee recognizes the need for the SuperinH·rnk11t 10 continw· t lw
Supcnntcndcnt's professional growth and education and hereby agrees to
rwnnit the Superintendent sufficient time during the wnrk ycm· l.o attend
co11fcrcnccs, scminarn, workshops or other meetings related to the
:-;111wrinlt·11cknt's work for the Sharon Public Schools.

9.

CERTIFICATE

The Supcrintcnclcnt shall furnish to the School Committee and shall maintain
as current throughout the term of this Contract a valid Hnd appropriate
('Crtificatc qualifying the Superintendent to serve and act as a Superintendent
of Schools in the Commonwcctlth of Massachusctt s, as required by
Massachusetts General Laws, ch. 71, s. 38G, and all other applicable laws and
regulations of the Commonwealth. The Superintendent represents m1d
warrants the validity of her credentials and experience proffered to the School
Committee, and acknowledges and e1grees that a material representation
therein shall constitute sufficient grounds for termination pursuant to this
f\grLTmenL
10.

EXPENSES AND DUES

The School Committee agrees to reimburse the Superintendent for expenses
reasonably incurred in the performance of her duties under this Agreement
upon timely documentation of the same.
Such reimbursable expenses may include, but shall not be limited to, the
Superintendent's cost of attending appropriate state and national education
meetings and conferences, professional clues, registration, lodging, meals, and
work-related out-of-state travel that takes place more than I 00 miles in
distance from Sharon, Massachusetts, and which is not otherwise paid to the
Superintendent under Section 3 of this Contract.
The School Committee agrees to pay the annual, professional dues of the
Superintendent with respect to the Superintendent's rn.embership in the
Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, American Association of
School Administrators, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.

 Willi n·s1Kct 10 this Section, tlw Superintendent shall request u<h<llHT
apprnv:i l from the Chair oft he s,:hooi Commit t ('C for any profcssion:.i l <'XP( ·11s('
gn·;iltT th<in S l .000.00, ur when the total of anv reimbursable trnvcl related
expenses rcbtcd to ;1 single trip is greater thnn $1,000.00.

11.

SICK/PERSONAL LEAVE

Tl1t· Supcrirncndcnt shall be cnlitlcd to up to 20 days of sick/personal lcm:c
during each year of this Contract. Unused sick/personal leave shall he alkmn!
tu accumulate to 2:-iO cl<tvs. Sick/ personal t imc will accrue in two inst;dlrncn ts:
the first 50% will accrue on the first calt•ndar day of the fiscul year, and 1he
second SO');;, will accrue 011 the 182nd day of the fisc::ll year.
Upon the Superintendent's separation from employment under this Agrccrrn·n1
fm- m1y reason other I han termination for cause under Sect ion l 7(C) oft his
Agreement, she shall be eligible for buyback of all nccrucd, unused sick dm·s
ns follows: ( J) for all days totaling up to fifty (50), at the rate of thirty dollars
($30) per day, and (2) for any days which exceed fifty (50) nnd up to sixtv (hO),
<1! the rate of fifty dollars ($50) per day.

12.

BENEFITS

The Superintendent shall be eligible to participate in all benefits programs
(medical, dental, hospital and life insurance, ss. 457, 403, and 403(b) !RC
defined contribution plans) currently provided to other employees of the Town
of Shcirun, subject lo the terms and conditions of said programs :rnd at the
same rate as provided for and/ or required of said municipal employees. If the
Superintendent elects to participate in the Town's optional disability insurance
program, the School Committee shall pay that portion of the annual premium
charged to the Superintendent as employee.
No part of the Superintendent's absence because of a work-related personal
injury or temporary disability shall be deducted from her leave under Section
12 of this Contract.
The Superintendent shall be a member of the Teachers' Retirement System as
required by Massachusetts General Laws, ch. 32, s. 2.
The parties agree that the Superintendent's resignation or retirement during a
school year can be disruptive to School Department administration, and
further agree that sufficient advance notice of resignation or retirement permits
the Department to plan for the Superintendent's successor in an orderly
manner. Accordingly, the parties agree that should the Superintendent elect to
resign or retire effective ,June 30th of any year after Year 2 of this Contract and
provides the School Committee at least one hundred and eighty (180) days
advance written notice of such resignation or retirement, the School Committee

 shall p;iv the Superintendent $7,500.00, whicb payrncnt shall bt· nmclc to th1·
Supcrintn1dent within thirty (:30) calendar clays following the effective rLitc nl
lwr resignation or retirement. In the event of the death of the Supcrintcrnlcnt
after such notice is given but prior to ,June 30th, this payment shall be rrwdc to
the Supi'rintcndcnt's estate.

13.

VACATION LEAVE

Tl1c Superintendent shall be entitled to twenty-five (25) days of vacation during

nH·h year of this Contract, exclusive of weekends and legal holidays, and shall
110tifr the Chair of the School Committee of her intended use of such days. The
t.irnc for laking said vacation shall be subject to the approval of the Chair of the
School Committee when those days fall on regular school days. Vacation t nne
will ;1ccruc in two installments: the first 50% will accrue on the first calendar
day of the fiscal year, and the second 50% will accrue on lhc l 82nd day of the
fiscal year.
The Superintendent shall have the option to either, (a) receive the c<ish \'aiuc of
her unused vacation time, up to a maximum of ten ( 10) days; or. (b) carryover
her unused vacation time, up to a maximum often (10) days, into the next
school year. In such circumstance, the Superintendent shall provide the Chair
of the School Committee, no later than May 15, 2018 (and May 15th of each
and every succeeding year), with written notice specifying the number of
vacation days whose cash value she elects to receive ((a) above), or she elects w
cany over into the next school year ((b) above). The Superintendent may elect
both (a) and (b) above in any one school year, but the combination of days
received in cash value and carryover days shall not exceed ten ( 10). Absent
timely notice from the Superintendent under this paragraph, the School
Committee shall treat any unused vacation time as carried over into the next
school year (10 days maximum).
Upon termination of her employment for any reason, the Superintendent shaII
be paid the cash value of any earned and unused vacation time.

If the Superintendent elects to receive the cash value of unused vacation days
in accordance with the paragraph above, up to a maximum of ten (10) days,
she will receive such cash value based upon the contractual per diem rate
then in effect, calculated by reference to the base compensation figure set out
in Section 3, "Compensation" of this Contract (above) for the year in question,
divided by 225.

 14.

FAMILY BEREAVEMENT LEAVE

The Superintendent will be allowed up to five (5) consecutive days for family
h\'rcavcrncnl leave upon each death of an immediate fomily member. The
consecutive days shall be calendar days, \Vhich may include Saturday mid
Sunday.
15.

INDEMNIFICATION/LEGAL ASSISTANCE

The School Committee will provide professional indemnification, including leg~1l
fees and costs, arising out of any claim, action, award, compromise, sc1tlcmcnt
or judgment attributable to any act or omission of the Superintendent whik
ilc1.ing within the scope of the Superintendent's official duties of employmcn l
up to the limits provided in the Massachusetts General Laws, ch. 258. This
inckrnnification provision shall survive the expiration of this agreemcrll or the
cessation of the employment relationship by any means or cause.
16.

TECHNOLOGY

The School Committee agrees to provide the Superintendent a cell phone and a
laptop computer for performance of her duties, at ils expense. The phone and
the computer (but not the work related digital data contained thereon) will
become the property of the Superintendent upon her retirement from the
Sharon Schoob but only on the conditions that, (1) the Superintendent
satisfactorily completes the term of this Contract, sec Section 2(A) herein; and
(2) such digital data is returned or otherwise transmitted by the
Superintendent or her agent to the School Committee on or before her
retirement date.
Jn all other circumstances, the cell phone and computer shall remain the
property of the School Committee and must be promptly returned to the School
Committee upon termination of employment.
17.

TERMINATION OF THIS CONTRACT/ARBITRATION

This Contract may be terminated during its term by either,
(A)

A mutually signed agreement of the parties regarding its termination;

(B)

Retirement of the Superintendent; or,

The School Committee's termination of the Superintendent's employment
for inefficiency, incompetency, incapacity, conduct unbecoming a
Superintendent, insubordination, or other just cause, whether under this
Section and/ or (D) below, consistent with Massachusetts General Laws eh. 71,
s. 42.
(C)

 For 1Jw clismiss<ll tmder above Section l 7(C) to be effective, tlll' Sd1ool
C'ommiltcc· must provide lhc Superintendent, at least 30 days in ;1dv:mu.· Pl 1 lw
h< «1ri rig upon 1he School Commit tee's proposed dismissal:

(I l)

(i)
Wril ten notice of 1lic charges or causes underlying tl1c proposed
tcrmin;1tion of this Contract, with sufficient detail to rcasorwlllv pl:1c« 1lw
Sup<'rintcndcnl on not ice of the reasons for the School Committee's
proposed action;
(ii)
Copic·s of documents relevant to the School Commit Ice's pruposcd
;ict ion;
(iii)
Notice of the Superintendent's right to an executive session
hearing before the School Committee, said hearing to occur prior to the
official action being taken;
(iv)
Notice of the Superintendent's right to be represented by kgal
counsel of her choosing, at the Superintendent's expense, at such
hearing.
Following such hearing, which may be conducted in executive session at the
option of the Superintendent, the School Committee may vote to terminate tl1is
Contract on one or more of the sufficient grounds identified abon:.

(l·:)
In the event the Superintendent desires to resign or otherwise tcrrninak
this Contract before the term of the Superintendent's service has expired, the
Superintendent may do so upon giving advance written notice of her intent no
less than one hundred twenty (120) calendar days prior to the termination date
provided to the Chair of the School Committee.
(F)
Any and all controversies or claims arising out of or relating to any term
or condition of this Contract or the breach thereof shall be adjudicated and
dcterrrnncd by arbitration in accordance with the Labor Arbitration Rules of the
American Arbitration Association. The determination and/or award of the
Arbitrator thereby appointed shall be final and binding on the parties except to
the extent that Massachusetts law permits review of the Arbitrator's decision.
Either party may invoke the arbitration provisions of this subsection by filing a
demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association (Boston.
Massachusetts office), with a copy to the other party, within three (3) years of
the da tc on which the claiming party knew or should have known of a
controversy or claim subject to arbitration (as defined above). The right of
either party to file a demand for arbitration shall survive the expiration of this
Contract.

 The i\rbit rator may enter any <ind all appropriate relief including, but not
limited tu, the dismissal of the claim, the allowance of the claim (parti:1l!y or in
full), and if the latter, such compensatory damages, costs, and interest as rnn\
be appropriute and established by the claiming party. In no case shul! ihc
Arbitrator's H\v·ard order, compel, or otherwise require the Schoo.I Connnittn·'s
reinstatement of the Superintendent to her position as Superintendent.

18.

ENTIRE CONTRACT

This Contract embodies the whole agreement between the School Cornrnittcc
ctnd the Superintendent and there are no inducements, promises, terms,
c011ditiuns, or oblig:~tions made or entered into by either party other than those
contained herein. Any prior correspondence, memorandum, agreements,
stutcments, promises, assurances, and/or undertakings regarding the terms of
the Superintendent's employment relationship with the School Committee are
superseded by the terms herein, and are without any independent effect
hereon.
This Contract may not be changed except by agreement between the School
Committee and the Superintendent formalized in writing.

19.

INVALIDITY

If any paragraph or other part of this Contract is hereafter deemed to be invalid
as a consequence of inconsistencies with applicable laws, regulations, or other
controlling legal basis, such inconsistency shall not affect the remainder of said

Contract, but said Contract shall remain binding and effective as between the
parties.

IN WITNESS THEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Contract on the
date noted below, and to be effective on the day and year slated above.

The Sharon School Committee,
by its Chair

Dr. Victoria L. Greer